


A God Is Only As Evil As His Followers

by extremelyperturbed



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-01
Updated: 2013-06-01
Packaged: 2017-12-13 15:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/825654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extremelyperturbed/pseuds/extremelyperturbed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a fairytale AU but not one with a happy ending.  Jack is a King with a sick queen.  A monster offers him a deal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A God Is Only As Evil As His Followers

Once there was a king who loved his queen very much and she loved him back though he spend much of his time away fighting monsters. They were childless so they only had each other. 

One day, Bella came down with an illness that no magician or doctor could cure. She was resigned to her death and decided to face her death with bravery. Her husband Jack chased any sign that could alter her inevitable path.

It was during a pursuit of another monster that he found the sign he had been searching for in a field eating another monster‘s heart. The monster looked like a man but his expression was reptilian and the wings on his back were made of rusted knives dripping blood. Jack was about to use his spear against him when the thing said, “I could save your wife.”

Jack threw his spear at the thing but the monster easily grabbed the spear and snapped it in two. Jack pulled out his sword and prepared to do battle but the monster merely smiled, his teeth red with blood and flew up until he was out of reach of the king. 

“What are you?” yelled Jack. He had slain many monsters but this one was especially peculiar and terrifying. 

“I am Hannibal, a god of Death. I can smell your beloved’s deterioration on you. The only way to prevent a death is through Death.”

“I would gladly sacrifice my life for hers,” said Jack.

“It’s not your death I want,” said Hannibal. “You alone wouldn’t feed my appetite. At least not for long”

“You seem powerful enough to get your own meals.”

“I’m tired of monster flesh,” Hannibal said, throwing what was left of the heart aside as if it was a rotten tomato. “I want a better level of prey. I know you can provide them for me. Do this for me and I will keep her from dying.”

“You want my herds of cattle. You can have them. You want my horses, you can have those as well.”

“I want the best men and women of your kingdom.”

Jack hissed. “I’m not going to kill my subjects just to feed you.”

“Why would I want you to kill them for me? Hunting them is the best part.”

“I’ll send my best knights to destroy you!” vowed Jack.

Hannibal smiled, “That’s what I want to hear.” Hannibal pointed to a mountain in the distance. “Send them there. Do not keep me waiting.”

***  
The first to die was Miriam. She was young and brave and eager to prove herself. She had rode out early one morning with only the king knowing where she was going. The only sign of her final fate was found a week later. It was her blood-drained arm holding a dagger.

Many knights went forward to revenge her death but they ended up dead. The god had so many to feast upon that he only ate the tender organs inside. He would then leave the rest displayed in macabre ways, One would be speared on antlers while another would be crucified. Once there was a circle made of twelve arms, each from a different warrior.

Will Graham was the only one who had gone up against the beast and managed to wound him and lived to tell the tale. However, it had been at the cost of his half his face and half his mind. Jack had wanted to send him back to finish the job but instead he fled to the southernmost edge of the kingdom, accompanied only by his hounds.

Clarice Starling had gone against him but ended up becoming his high priestess. Rumors abounded that they often made the ‘beast with two backs’ in the light of the full moon. 

Bella turned to Jack and said, “You could tell them not to hunt this thing. They’re getting slaughtered.”

“He has to be killed,” Jack said but found himself unable to look her in the eye. “He will be killed.”

***  
Bella did not die. She did not become completely healthy but her illness hadn’t gotten any worse. Being as smart as her husband, she noticed that the one time she had become sick again was when Will Graham had wounded the beast. 

Knowing that her husband would try to stop her if he knew, she rode off, without telling him, alone to the mountain where the dread god lived. 

Hannibal seemed very surprised to see her. “I can’t believe he asked you to come out here to kill me.”

“He didn’t. I came here on my own account.”

“What is it that you want?”

“I want to know if the reason I haven’t died yet is because of all these warriors my husband sends here.”

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

“They’re supposed to kill you.”

“They’re supposed to but they don’t.” Hannibal’s smile finally showed some razor sharp teeth. 

“There won’t be any more coming out here.”

“You’ll die.”

“I’m fine with that. I was ready to die months ago.” 

Hannibal closed his eyes and sniffed. Her pain and sorrow smelled so delicious. 

***  
Jack came back from a hunt and went to the bedroom, only to find his wife on the bed, looking as if she was asleep with Hannibal standing over her. “You get away from her.”

“It’s too late, she’s dead.”

“Why?”

“Because she knew what the price of her life was. She couldn’t live with it. I gave her the death that she deserved. I have no desire to eat flesh infested with illness and the taste of her pain at knowing what you did to keep her alive more than made up in deliciousness.” 

The king lunged at him with his sword but missed. Hannibal flew out the window. The king took his wife in his arms and begged for her to wake up but in vain.

The king swore to spend the rest of his life trying to kill the monster by his own hand but the monster had disappeared to the ends of the earth, never to be seen again. 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> I must confess that I keep thinking about Jack sending Miriam, then Will and in the future Clarice to Hannibal in the name of justice. I believe he feels guilty about Miriam and that he's capable of feeling love for his wife . . . but I also believe that he's able to talk himself into using others and closing his eyes to the price if he thinks the need/reason is great enough. 
> 
> Even though I have quite a few problems with Jack, I do enjoy his interactions with Bella so I end up liking Bella/Jack.


End file.
